Stop…don’t forget the cover letter!

Dear Sam: I think I have a pretty good résumé, but I have no idea where to start when writing a cover letter. Is it necessary to submit a cover letter when applying for a job? I’d prefer to just submit my résumé so I don’t have to write a cover letter for every job I am interested in. I’m finding I don’t apply for some positions as I can’t get over the stumbling block of writing the cover letter to accompany my résumé. Help! – Tony

Dear Tony: A cover letter is your opportunity to introduce yourself to a prospective employer, expand on and personalize your résumé, and highlight how your skills and experiences will fulfill the employer's needs. A cover letter should be a key part of every application, regardless of whether it is requested. The letter should engage the hiring manager and propel him or her to read your résumé.

You should not have to create a new cover letter for each job you are interested in. If you have defined your objective when creating your résumé, meaning you know what you want to do, who you are marketing your candidacy to, and what language will attract his or her interest, then your cover letter will be developed using that information as your guide. When you have taken time to really understand what will trigger your target audience, and have incorporated that content into your application materials, your résumé and cover letter will not need to be modified each time you apply for a position.

Keep in mind a cover letter not only expresses your interest in the company and/or position, but also gives the employer the opportunity to observe your attentiveness to detail, spelling, grammar, and quality of your written communication. While you may have heard stories of employers not even looking at cover letters, I have heard just as many in which employers focus heavily on the cover letter as a window into the style of the candidate.

When writing your cover letter, there are many strategies you can employ in the development and organization of the content. Here are some guidelines:

1. Open the letter noting your key qualifications and the position of interest. Use the first paragraph to capture the recipient's attention and make him or her want to read further.

2. Use the center section of your cover letter to explore your experiences, successes, and skills that have supported your performance. Oftentimes, I use bullet points to focus the hiring manager's attention on the most important pieces of information, which also helps to break up a "heavy"-looking one-page letter. Bullet points also allow for a quick way to tailor your cover letter to a specific opportunity, should that be necessary.

3. Close with an action-oriented statement. Do not take the passive approach and wait for a hiring manager to call you. Of course, if the posting says no calls, don’t call; but most of the time, a follow-up call is appropriate to reiterate your interest.

4. Keep it brief. Generally cover letters should be no more than one page and include ample white space to facilitate ease of readability. Don’t however make it so brief that at a quick glance it looks like you aren’t bringing anything to the table.

5. Do all you can to obtain the name of the hiring manager and address your cover letter accordingly. When all else fails, address the letter to "Dear Hiring Manager."

6. Use the same heading from your résumé in order to present a clean and professional package. Don't forget to sign your letter if you are sending a hard copy.

Take a look at the cover letter I have presented (click here), it engages the reader by immediately introducing the candidate’s qualifications, using an attractive format to pull the reader’s eye through the main section of the letter, and providing proof and support of claims made in the letter and résumé. As you can see, a cover letter can serve a much higher purpose than you might have thought, by capturing increased interest in your candidacy.

Handle tricky situations with grace

Dear Sam: I worked for 23 years for a well-known company until 3 years ago when I and 99 others were asked to take early retirement. I was off for 3 months when I found a new temp-to-perm position. After 18 months I was promoted to an administrative assistant position with the idea I was a potential permanent hire. I really love the work I do and I enjoy the team I work with, but I am finding that another person in the department keeps taking credit for what I do. I am worried that if this continues, the company will not see the value in bringing me on as a full-time, permanent employee, and all this work and time will be wasted. I really need to work full-time, and want to establish a career with this employer, but I am not sure if I should start seeking employment elsewhere. – Ruth

Dear Ruth: While it never hurts to be prepared for situations outside of your control by updating your résumé with this most recent position, I think you can take steps to salvage what you have going for you with your current employer, especially as you enjoy your work and those you work with.

Start documenting everything you do and trying to facilitate transparency of your actions to make sure those around you, specifically your supervisor, are aware of your contributions. You could do this in an informal capacity with weekly email updates to your supervisor and peers on projects and tasks you are working on or have completed. You might introduce this by telling your peers and supervisor that as you support multiple departments within the organization you thought emailing a “weekly update” would make sure everyone always knew the progress you had made on projects and tasks, especially important as you are part-time and not always available to respond to such queries. This will ensure that everyone is aware of your contributions and hopefully show the person that is trying to take credit for your work, that he/she will need to make their own contributions from now on.

Dear Sam: I was recently laid off after spending 7 years with the company and am concerned about listing my boss as a reference. To put it politely, my boss was dysfunctional at best and seemed to be battling substance abuse. I know from reading your column that you are never supposed to badmouth a former employer, but my worst fear is that a prospective employer will call to get a reference, speak to my former boss, and not know my side of the story in terms of who he is and how he acts. I am not the only person in this situation; everyone who was laid off is concerned that when reference checks are performed, our responsibilities and accomplishments will be news to him.

Former clients and vendors can attest to our plight, and vouch for us, and several said we can use them as a reference. But still, one conversation with "Mr. Wonderful" and future employers are not likely to give us a second look. Is there a way to spin this? – R.S.

Dear R.S.: What an unfortunate situation to be in. Could you use peers or a different supervisor as references instead of your boss? That’s a pretty common strategy and can ensure you have the best reference/recommendation possible, completely bypassing him and the company as a whole. As you mentioned former clients and vendors are also willing to serve as references, list them to provide third-party validation of the claims on your résumé. You may also want to start requesting written letters of recommendation as a backup. You probably don’t even have to mention this situation to prospective employers, just create a reference sheet and list the titles the reference providers hold/held. So, if using a client as a reference you would list his/her name followed by his/her title and a note saying “client with ABC Company).

If you are ever asked why your boss isn’t listed you could say, “unfortunately all the employees who were downsized, and actually those that are still employed, were perplexed as to who to list as a reference as our official boss was an absent supervisor so he would have no idea what any of us did, where we went above and beyond, and quite frankly, we were all concerned he would not know who we were due to some health concerns he was battling that impacted his ability to function. Hence listing several other reference providers who can attest to the work I performed.” Hope that helps.

Accomplishments—quantified or not—play vital role

Dear Sam: Thanks for your helpful, practical insights about résumés and job hunting. Would you please address the matter of quantifiers? Certainly it is valuable if one can present documented value by quantifying achievements (such as growth in sales or reduction in expenses), but what about those of us who don't have that kind of achievement to document? Perhaps you could identify quantifiable events we haven't thought of or alternatives if our work doesn't produce documented metrics. – Duane

Dear Duane: That’s an excellent question, and one I field quite often when candidates find it difficult to discern their own value via quantified achievements. While it is great to have quantifiable accomplishments on a résumé, I understand that sometimes it just isn’t possible. Whether it is because the quantifiers are not impressive and wouldn’t position one correctly for the opportunities they were pursuing, or if as you suggested, the company simply doesn’t document such metrics, there are often times when adding quantifiers is not possible. Typically however, one can add achievements to their résumé of a more qualitative nature.

Let me give you some examples of great achievements that are not quantified:

· Motivated and mentored cross-functional team members to hold accountability for performance goals, support clients and peers, and model a sense of empowerment to exceed service objectives.
· Selected to serve as one of three trainers facilitating field training for new sales associates, introducing company processes, systems, products, and sales and marketing methodologies.
· Noted as a competent project leader and asked by several departments to assist with special initiatives based on extensive knowledge of accounting, consumer fraud, and customer service.
· Enhanced effectiveness by organizing information, tracking cases, fielding client concerns, and supporting legal proceedings within personal injury, contract, entertainment, and sports law arenas.

While none of these achievements are quantified, they still present where the candidate went above and beyond and added value to the organization.

Try perusing old performance reviews to jog your memory as to where you have gone above and beyond, ask your friends and family if they remember times you came home from work particularly excited about a project or task you had accomplished, or even ask your references to discuss areas in which they felt you excelled. Sometimes it takes those around us to tell us what we do best! Use this insight to guide the development of the accomplishments on your résumé and remember, quantifiers are nice but accomplishments can be just as effective without numbers.

Dear Sam: I have been considering placing my picture on my résumé. I think that seeing a person instead of just a list of qualifications, would generate additional interest. Is this a common practice and something that you think would be a wise idea? – James

Dear James: No, placing a headshot on a résumé is not a common practice and should be avoided unless there is a specific reason the employer needs to see what you look like. Using your image really won't generate additional interest in your résumé; instead the hiring manager will wonder why you included your picture, possibly even thinking it was a little self-serving. The only times I have used a headshot on a résumé has been for clients in a particularly creative field (such as a musician or artist), an industry where your image plays a key role in your success (such as a dancer, model, or even an assistant in a cosmetic surgery office where image was stressed as vitally important), or for C-level executives or outside sales managers that have a recognizable name and face. Take a look at the example I have presented this week which illustrates how you can use symbology to reinforce who you are as a candidate. You might take this approach if you really want a visual aspect to your résumé while avoiding the headshot option. Most candidates however should stick to using their education, skills, and accomplishments to garner a hiring manager’s interest.

To view example click here